Goal: Protect the health of the citizens of New Delhi, India and the greater Delhi urban area by reducing amounts of harmful litter throughout the city.

The Indian capital of New Delhi, home to over 20 million people, is an ancient and long-inhabited place — people have lived in the area since before the second millennium BCE. Despite the city’s accommodation of humans for thousands of years, it’s more dangerous to live there than ever before because of pollution. Due to a lack of proper waste disposal and diversion services, many streets and other public places in New Delhi are frequently littered with garbage. Piles of trash even tower over shanties throughout the city.

One reporter, writing for BRICS Business Magazine, noted that in New Delhi, “The… city dumps add up to 10,000 tons of waste every day… it means 2,300 trucks daily,” and that, “… the volume of waste is growing along with the population, and it is expected that by 2025, the daily waste volume will have reached 4,700 truckloads [daily].” Another reporter, writing in March of 2016 for the Indian publication Firstpost, stated that New Delhi is India’s most polluted city, and that, “[New Delhi] is on the verge of an accident due to fire in dumped wastes,” and that, “No system [is] in place related to solid waste management… piled up garbage over the years has taken the shape of a hill.” The reporter also noted that that threats due to municipal waste dumping in the Delhi area include toxic methane leakage, soil acidification, the spread of infectious diseases and groundwater poisoning.

Combined with a dense and rapidly growing population, improper disposal of this waste poses a serious and recurrent threat to public health in New Delhi. Indeed, this has already lead to the dangerous pollution of at least one local aquifer. To make matters worse, the city’s working dumpsites frequently overflow, stuffed to the brim with trash. Sign this petition to urge the Chief Minister of Delhi to enforce strict waste disposal and recycling laws in the city.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Minister Kejriwal,

Please pressure your local government, as well as the national government of India, to enforce stricter waste disposal, diversion and recycling laws in the capital city of New Delhi and the larger Delhi metro area.

New Delhi is consistently ranked as one of the most polluted cities in the world with levels of solid and other municipal waste overflowing from its few working dumpsites. The remaining waste is often tossed aside in residential and business areas, forming incredibly and increasingly harmful sources of toxic gases and infectious diseases.

This ever-accumulating waste poisons groundwater and aquifers that the Delhi area’s 20 million or more inhabitants rely on for hydration. The trash pollution also poses a serious threat to people and infrastructure through the increased incidence of fires. Please seriously consider the threats that improper waste disposal can have on the environment and health of the people of New Delhi. Act now to instill trash and recycling laws to protect this ancient city.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo credit: Larry Johnson

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